


Haunting My Life

by Random_Inked_Thoughts



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Character Turned Into a Ghost, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Cute, Dan and Phil get the happy ending they deserve, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Ghost!Dan, Kissing, Love at First Sight, M/M, Never Have I Ever, PJ is stressed, Phil Lester Is A Sweetheart, Phil technically dies but I swear he's okay, Pining, disgustingly domestic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 00:37:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17457287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Inked_Thoughts/pseuds/Random_Inked_Thoughts
Summary: Any of you ever play that online game, Haunt the House?Ghost!Daniel is antisocial as all heck, but when his house is flooded with potential buyers, he decides there's only one way to deal with it- flush them all out. Which would of course work better if he could stop getting distracted by PJ's uncomfortably pretty friend, Phil, who isn't even here to buy the house.What began as a crack fic turning into pure fluff.





	Haunting My Life

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: A few terrible ghost puns and me calling the afterlife the "not-life".
> 
> Arguably the last thousand words or so are the only well written part of this story. I'm so sorry please don't give up on it lol.

Daniel Howell was dead. It wasn’t a fact that bothered him so much, and it’s not like being dead didn’t come with perks. For one, they rebuilt his house after the fire, and almost completely accurately, if he was being honest. This was nice, since he didn’t want to just sit around an empty plot for the rest of his not-life. For another, the house itself had been mostly empty since the initial building, which Dan definitely liked.

 

Really, the only source of discomfort for him was that when his house went up in flames, the same happened to his piano, and with it, all of his music. The replacement just wasn’t as good. That’s all there was to it. The seat was uncomfortable and it was never quite in tune, always just a little bit flat. That wasn’t to say he was ungrateful. From what Dan understood, most had a much more unpleasant afterlife.

 

However, until now, that was his only concern, and it was a small one. But now…

 

“What is this?” Dan mumbled under his breath as he peered out of the window curiously as he watched the truck drive up the long and winding road to his his house. He willed himself into invisibility as soon as he heard footsteps at his doorstep, a trick he had picked up how to perfect pretty early on into his afterlife experience.

 

He watched with interest as a man with long curly brown hair stepped out of the truck, walked up his steps, and into his foyer, talking loudly on the phone as he did. He stepped out of this man’s way unconsciously as he barged into Dan’s house, pointing and ordering a team of men bringing more furniture and boxes where to go.

 

Dan flinched in disgust as one of the men walked straight through him. That sensation was always unpleasant. “Cold in here,” the man commented, shivering.

 

“What are you talking about?” The curly brown haired man looked at him, bewildered. Dan backed himself into a corner, and then stumbled through the wall behind him.

 

The reality of the situation hit him like a brick. A very large, painful, not-life altering brick. There were people in his house. People, who would apparently, be _staying_ in his house. A chill went down his spine.

 

In the next few hours, he learned that the man was named Peej, and, from what he could tell, that he was very disagreeable. He appeared to be quite high strung, and was never quite pleased. Dan felt some bile rise to his throat. This man was repulsive.

 

It wasn’t long after the movers left that Peej was on his own again, and talking once more on the phone. He sat at Dan’s kitchen table- nope, his kitchen table now- and called different numbers over and over.

 

“Hey Phil, yes, I got the furniture and everything moved in, thank you, and hopefully we’ll have a buyer very soon. Actually, I have a favor to ask… can you can come over tonight?” There was a pause. “Yes it is a party and I know you hate those, but come on man, there’ll be alcohol! And I’m gonna need every ounce of moral support you can give me if I’m gonna sell this house to someone.” There was another pause, in which Dan floated down to sit cross legged on the table as lightly as possible so as not to disturb anything just yet. “Come on, do it for your best friend? You know how stressful this has been for me!” Peej seemed to be pleading, desperate. Dan could faintly hear a noise of affirmation from the other end of the phone. “Great, see you in a few hours!”

 

He continued on in this manner. Some were easier to convey the news to than others, and some he had clearly spoken to beforehand, and this was just a call to finalize timing. With each ring, Dan felt his spirits drop further and further.

 

The only preparation PJ seemed to do for the party was pull out a large crate of alcohol and put it all along Dan’s dining table. Dan wrinkled his nose. _Cheapskate._

 

It wasn’t long after that that the first ‘potential buyer’ arrived. The door knocker sound rang throughout the house, and Dan closed his eyes at the nostalgia that followed. It had been forever since he had heard that sound. Peej, on the other hand, sprung up from the couch and went to answer the door. His voice, now playful, rang throughout the house. “So nice of you to show up! Come on, you can put food over here…”

 

Dan began to retreat to his piano room, his heart heavy and swelling with a massive ball of emotions that Dan didn’t even want to begin to decipher. He had seen the moving people carry in a huge speaker earlier, and he did not like the thought of that. He moved slowly down his halls, trailing his fingers across the well worn paint lovingly, turning into the last door on the right. As he did, he completely missed the other deeper voice responding to Peej, “Yeah, okay, give me a sec, I just need to use the bathroom.”

 

In a few moments, Dan stood in the doorway to his favorite room in the entire house. His piano room had a huge window that overlooked a forest. Sunlight seemed to always find its way in, brightening the room, and when Dan laid his hands on the keys, even if they were not truly his own, Dan felt at peace.

 

He began to play quietly, not thinking much about it. Naturally, he assumed that Peej wouldn’t be able to hear him from downstairs. It was an old piece of his, the first one that he truly felt as if he had played to perfection. The first one that he didn’t need sheet music to read. He got so caught up in his own playing that he didn’t realize he had faded back into reality, his invisibility fading with his tenseness, too caught up to even hear the uneasy footsteps tiptoeing around the top floor.

 

“Who’s there?” A nervously spoken question broke his concentration, and Dan sat straight up, rigid. In an instant, he was transparent, and the piano lid seemed to slam shut on its own, narrowly missing his fingers. Dan winced at that. _Sorry._

 

The door creaked the rest of the way open, and even as loud music began to play from downstairs, everything was still and eerie. A tall man walked into the room, his phone held out in front of him almost defensively, though Dan had no idea what he thought _that_ would do. He had on large glasses that almost seemed to accentuate the natural blueness behind the lenses, and his jet black hair was styled up into a quiff. The man looked around with large, frightened eyes, before heading over to the piano.

 

“Is anyone there?” He called out once more, placing his hand onto the piano, slender fingers chasing something Dan couldn’t see. Finally, after what seemed to be a millennia, the man pulled his hand away, and glanced around the room one more time before leaving. Dan could feel his breathing return to normal- nothing at all- though for some reason his heart could not stop thumping, feeling as though it was about to leap from his nonexistent chest.

 

He let out what felt like the longest sigh of his life, allowing himself to fade back into reality. As soon as the crisis was averted, however, his attention was brought back to the thumping stereo downstairs, practically shaking his walls. Pinching his brow as a headache began to set in, he let his brain wallow in thoughts of what had just happened briefly before taking a turn into darker territory. _Oh god, is this what the rest of whichever person buys this place’s life is going to be like?_ He thought with a shudder, before his brain took an even worse path. _What if they die here too, and I’m stuck with them forever?_

 

And with that horrible thought, Dan made up his mind, his recent interaction forgotten in his disgust. He couldn’t just slink around his own house for the rest of his life, invisible, without corporal body, unable to play. He was a ghost after all. _What’s the worst that could happen, Howell? They’ll kill you?_ His own brain mocked him.

 

He debated for a few moments longer, the stereo downstairs moving to another song, with no less base. He could almost feel himself shaking, though he knew it was impossible to, due to his recent lack of a corporeal form. Somehow, that thought failed to comfort him.

 

And with determination, Dan stood up from the piano bench, willed invisibility once more. and marched right out that door, leaving it slightly ajar.

 

The sight he was met with was not one that he was expecting. As he had failed to take into account, this was a full house viewing, and the guests had miraculously both appeared and began to make their way upstairs. All of them were holding various alcoholic beverages, and most were already stumbling around tipsily.

 

“What’s through that door?” He hears one man ask suddenly, voice slurred, and then eyes are turning to his piano room. With all of the grace of a man with his legs tied together, Dan does what he has to do- he throws himself in front of the curious party guests and into the room, locking the door from the inside. _Absolutely not._

 

He allows himself one more moment, for his nerves.

 

When he returns through the chunk of wood, he can see some guests still muttering confusedly, but most just take it in stride, tipping back their drinks once more. He shudders. Phasing through solid objects disturbed him, and it was something he only liked to use as a last measure.

 

He hears loud laughter. With narrowed eyes, he turns to the man that sparked the initial interest in his piano room. _Well, you gotta start somewhere,_ he thought with a sigh. With the ease of a panther, he began to stalk him through the small crowd. The man, oblivious to his presence, continued chatting with the others beside him.

 

Dan observed him for a moment, doing his best to avoid contact with the other bodies in the room as he did. The had short blonde hair and a matching blonde beard. His shirt was a light blue, and he had matching eyes. Some would definitely consider him quite handsome, but he just wasn’t really Dan’s type.

 

“Oh shove off Felix! We all know that story’s bull!” A shorter Asian man with an american accent rolls his eyes and tips back his glass once more.

 

“Maybe I will then!” The blonde begins to march away.

 

As soon as the man split from his group, Dan pounced. He immediately possessed the nearest object to him, which happened to be a small painting of an old woman. Wanting Felix’s full attention, Dan wills the painting to rock back and forth, even going so far as to raise it from the wall slightly and let it fall. The sound is mostly muffled by the loud thumping music of the stereo, but the movement seems to catch the man’s eye.

 

“What the..?” He mutters, blinking drunkenly. Dan takes that as a small personal victory. Finally, he decides to take it up a notch, warping the man’s perception of reality, and allowing him to see gushing red spurting from the painted eyes, dripping down the sides of the painting and the walls, if only for a second.

 

Felix jumps back from the wall with a small, unmanly screech, though he quickly composes himself. He mutters under his breath nervously, shaking his head and beginning to meander away, seemingly fine at first glance. However, Dan didn’t miss the way that his eyes shifted left and right anxiously as he stumbled down the hall.

 

Resuming pace behind Felix once more, Dan watches him as he makes a beeline for the bathroom door, concentrating as he follows the man with his eyes.

 

Much to the blonde man’s horror, the doorknob is burning to the touch, and he quickly drops his hand from it, letting out another of those small shrieks as he did so. It takes him a full thirty seconds to attempt to open the door again, and when he finally reaches out tentatively, he finds it to be perfectly normal, the metal at room temperature.

 

Quickly, Felix sits on the closed toilet, running his fingers through his hair. It takes Dan a moment to realize that this man is crying slightly, small whimpers of fear that tug at his heartstrings. _No, this is my house._

 

 _Nothing better than a good ominous message on the mirror to sober you up,_ Dan thinks, and gets to work. By the time the blonde man looks up once again, all he can see are the bloody words that obscure anything else in his immediate field of vision, dripping and still fresh.

 

**Get out of my house...**

 

Felix’s hands fly to his mouth, and he stumbles back from the message almost comically, bumping into the walls of the small bathroom before wrenching open the door and running down the short hall. Dan just barely manages to close the door behind him in time before he’s off. He stops briefly to snag his coat before sprinting out the front door. _One down, nineteen to go. He didn’t even stop to say goodbye to Peej… Shame._ Dan considers his next options as he begins wandering down the halls once more.

 

It was then that he heard an awkward laugh. Turning to find the source of the laugh that seemed so out of place here yet so right to his ears, he spots the dark haired man from his piano room backed in a corner, a tall woman with bottle blonde hair in front of him. She’s holding alcohol in her right hand, and her left hand is coming dangerously close to the man’s waist. Her lips are peeled back into a grin of sorts, though it doesn’t suit her.  
  
A flush of anger went through Dan. Without thinking too much about it, he had practically materialized next to them and knocked the woman’s arm away.

 

“Hey!” She sloshed alcohol in her surprise. “What just happened?”

 

“Um… I-i’m sorry ma’am, I have no idea.” The man stammered briefly, and Dan felt a different kind of tug on his heartstrings at his voice, deep and with a slight northern accent, though still articulate.

 

“Oh please Phil, call me Ruby.” The woman giggled in what appeared to be a flirtatious attempt, before staggering back slightly. “Whatever,” She slurred, “I’ll be right back, I’m gonna get us some more punch. You just stay right there, sweetie.” And with that sentiment, she was gone.

 

“I-I really don’t think you need any more punch…” Phil’s voice trailed off into nothing as he looked down at the ground, and Dan couldn’t help but reach out and cup his face with both hands, almost as if to comfort him. _Poor thing._

 

Immediately, Phil stiffened in confusion, his ocean blue eyes darting around for the sudden source of warmth cupping his cheeks.

 

_Oh shit._

 

And then it was gone. And Dan was gone with it, hunting after Ruby, who had headed to the main hallway of his house, where Peej had apparently set up a bunch of folding tables along the wall. _What were you thinking? Stupid… You’re no worse than her! You can’t just get attached to one of them! You’re here to scare them away you idiot!_ Both his heart and his head were screaming at him, and he blinked harshly as if to banish the feelings.

 

His gaze locked onto Ruby as soon as he saw the table. She had seemingly forgotten that she had offered Phil punch in her drunken state, and was currently cutting a large slice from the very center of what appeared to be a large, store bought cake.

 

Without even thinking about it, Dan flicked his wrist and the slice of cake cake turned to jello. It wobbled slightly as she raised the slice to closer inspect it, and she poked it, shrieking slightly at the slightly slimy quality of the gelatin.

 

A nearby couple gave her a concerned glance and the woman laughed halfheartedly, waving at them before reaching for a plastic fork.

 

Dan quickly reached past her and knocked them off the table. _Where did all of this food come from?_ He wondered, even as the woman gasped and turned a shade similar to a tomato, bending down and trying to put all of the forks back into the container.

 

Finally, she stood back up, holding her gelatin and fork in as dignified a manner as she could, began to walk away, and promptly tripped over Dan’s extended foot.

 

_Okay, now you’re just being mean._

 

However, it seemed to work. The woman scrambled to her feet, clutched briefly at her purse, and then stalked right out the front door, not making eye contact with anyone. Just for the hell of it, Dan made the clock on the wall chime as she went by, just to see her little jump. _Eighteen to go._

 

Dan let out a brief sigh and slunk back down the hallway, his conscience still shrieking at him slightly. He scanned the room for Phil, though he couldn’t find him in the crowd of eight or so people that remained. He didn’t know if that was for better or worse. Sighing, he closed his eyes, and focused on the manipulation of the people around him, and the inside of the room itself. _Might as well get to work…_

 

Meanwhile, Phil was wandering the house for Peej, a slightly dazed look adorning his face. He kept pushing his glasses up ever so slightly, and he could almost feel two impossibly warm hands still cupping his face. Impossible, of course, because there was no one there. However, he knew what he had felt, and he had felt soft hands and warm breath on his face.

 

He found Peej upstairs, leaning against a banister and sipping from a glass tastefully. “Good turnout,” Phil commented, raising his voice to be heard over the music.

 

“Thanks man! It’s a beautiful house, right? They really did an amazing job when they rebuilt it. Hopefully I’ll be able to sell it in no time!” Peej seemed pleased.

 

“Yeah…” Phil smiled awkwardly at that.

 

“Weren’t you looking for a place?” Peej teased him then, bumping their shoulders together playfully.

 

Phil rolled his eyes. “Peej, you know I gave up on finding a new place after, well…” He paused. “Well, you know my thoughts on the subject.”

 

Phil smiled good naturedly and opened his mouth to respond, when they both heard a blood curdling shriek from downstairs.

 

Peej shot Phil a questioning look, raising an eyebrow, before power walking down the hallway, past the door that seemed to be locked, and down the stairs. Phil followed close behind him. A few other of the potential buyers upstairs were sober enough to care and they followed as well.

 

The sight they were met with downstairs was one that confused both of them, Dan could tell. _Uh oh._

 

The eight people he had scared were all huddled together in the corner of the room, their bodies shaking.

 

“Mark, Lauren,” Peej listed off some of the names he knew. “Dean, what’s going on? Is everything all right?”

 

The asian man stepped forward. “I think Sean and I are going to be leaving for the night. Unless he has any problems with that?” The man standing next to him shook his head furiously.

 

“Bobby and I thank you for inviting us, but we…” Lauren paused, “We don’t think this house is the right fit for us. Have a nice night.”

“Yeah man, thanks for the invite.” Dean’s voice echoed Lauren’s hollowly before he jerked his head, still sounding shaken up. “Come on Jack, let’s hit the road.”

 

Dan felt his stomach twist. _Ten to go._ He felt horrible. _If those people weren’t claustrophobic before, they certainly are now..._

 

Then he caught sight of Phil. His brow was furrowed, and his inquisitive eyes were scanning the room. Finally, he turned to Peej. Dan watched, his stomach in knots, for Phil to say he needed to leave as well. “Peej, do you know of anything… weird that happened here?” He finally asked.

 

Peej blinked. “Well, this place is brand new. We built it as close to the original as we could.” By now, the party guests had began to dissipate, returning to their various earlier positions, too drunk to stay focused on what had just gone on downstairs.

 

 _Shit. Here it comes._ Dan was almost touching Phil now, he was so close.

 

“The original?” Phil inquired. _There it is._

 

“Well, yeah. This house burned down in a fire four years ago, though we’ve tested and properly fireproofed this one. One of the only things we changed, actually.” Peej sounded pleased with himself. “But I don’t see how that would deter from the quality or price of the house.”

 

Phil just shrugged at that. “Huh.”

 

“Yeah man, it’s really great what they did with the place. You know, there’s this other thing…”

 

Dan walked away as Peej opened his mouth once more, not wanting to hear more about how wonderful his new and improved home was.

 

Walking upstairs, he came face to back with a strange man trying his best to strong arm his way through his piano room doorway.

 

“What are you doing.” It came out of his mouth, blurted in anger before Dan could even think about it.

 

The obviously drunk man whirled around so fast Dan was worried he would get whiplash. “Jesus?” He whispered, “Is that you?”

 

Thinking quickly, Dan did his best to save the situation. “Um… no.” He said decisively. “It’s your conscience.”

 

“Oh, man…” The drunk man’s speech was slightly slurred. “It has been a while. What should I do?”

 

“You mean like, short term, or to turn your life around?” Dan stared at the wall for a moment as he contemplated. “Never mind. For one, stop tugging on doors that don’t belong to you!”

 

The man released the door as if he had been burnt. “Got it. Don’t even know why I’m here,” He muttered. “Can’t even afford it.”

 

“And for two…” Dan paused. _Could it really be that easy?_ “Don’t go out on a whim and buy houses! What are you even doing here? Get out! Do you have enough money to eat for the next week? You know this would be a long term investment!” He hissed this part out quietly, looking over his shoulder as he did.

 

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right…” The man sighed over dramatically. “Oh well, thanks a lot, Me. I should get drunk more often...” And with that, he walked down the hall and stairs, a slight sway in his step. _Nine to go._

 

“Sorry, man,” Dan could hear the drunk man apologize to someone out of his field of vision. His brain discarded and possible importance that might have before he could even really comprehend it.

 

Quietly, he let out a small sigh, letting his head thunk quietly against the piano room door.

 

He could hear a tipsy couple down the hall, giggling and stomping around. From what he could tell, they appeared to be in the master bathroom. _What the hell?_

 

Creeping up on them was easy, the horrific visions of monsters and creatures of the night that filled the room almost as easy.

 

Dan followed the couple out of the room, down the hall, out the door, just to be sure, sighing. There wasn’t much fun about this in the first place, but now it felt more like a chore than anything. _Seven to go._

 

 _What’s the point of all this anyway?_ He wondered to himself, taking a moment to contemplate. _What are the chances that someone buys the house anyway?_

 

There was a small static sound, and the music turned off. Dan watched with interest as the remaining potential buyers Turning, he found Peej ushering the remaining few people through the doors into the room. Dan leaned back against the wall and watched with interest. By that, he means that he kept his eyes firmly trained on Phil, unabashedly staring while he had the chance.

 

The rest of the guests seemed vaguely tipsy, including Peej, who was trying to round up everyone into a vaguely circular gathering. Eventually, the remaining potential buyers, as well as Peej and Phil, had formed a vaguely oval shape.

 

“What are we doing here?” The woman on Phil’s right called out, tipping back her drink as she did so.

 

Peej grinned. “I don’t know man, maybe we should play a game.” He too held alcohol, though Dan had no idea when he found the time to drink, as well as the notion that it would be a good idea to drink at his own house selling party. _House selling party? No… that doesn’t sound right. I’m sure there’s some fancy word I just don’t know._

 

“Like what?” Another one of the seven called out.

 

Peej squinted, thinking appearing a bit difficult in his tipsy state. “Never have I ever?” He offered.

 

“Who are we, teenagers at an overnight party?”

 

“Hey, mate, I think it sounds like a decent idea.”

 

“I’m game.”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“Sure would help us get to know each other better…” That last remark was almost purred by the woman next to Phil, smiling at him all the while and slowly moving to place her arm on his shoulder. _Okay and now she’s flirting. Damn, you’re just too pretty for your own good._

 

And with that, Dan did something incredibly stupid that he knew he would regret. Fading into reality, he became corporal, sauntering up to the group. “Sorry I’m late.” The words were out of his mouth before he could fully comprehend the weight his actions held, as well as just how badly he had screwed up. “Can I just scoot in somewhere? Maybe next to you there?” He looked Phil directly in the eyes for what felt like the first time then, his heart fluttering like a lovesick teenager. _Stupid, stupid. All this just for some boy?_ His brain berated him as he hid his fears behind a smile.

 

“Sure.”

 

Was that just him, or did he spot relief behind Phil’s eyes?”

 

“Hi there, I’m Dan,” He whispered, offering Phil a small smile that did absolutely nothing to convey all of the emotions running wild under his skin at that moment.  
  
“Phil,” Phil whispered his name back with an equally tentative smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Dan,” and _damn_ Phil’s accent just made Dan’s name sound so much better.

 

The rest of the group just seemed to accept that he had always been there. “All right then, mates, looks like we’re playing Never Have I Ever. You all know the rules, but we’ll start with five fingers.” Peej directed. “Louise, you go first.”

 

Louise was apparently the name of the blonde woman sitting to Peej’s left, and she thought for a moment before saying, “Never have I ever been out of the country.”

 

Dan smiled wistfully. _I had planned to._ A few different fingers went down, but Phil’s stayed up as well as Dan’s.

 

Next was the girl Dan had squished in next to. “Never have I ever done drugs.” No fingers went down, and Dan was impressed, if a bit skeptical. _Yeah, right._

 

And then it was his turn, and he didn’t have anything prepared. “U-uh, never have I ever… kissed a poster of a celebrity!” He blurted out. _Now why did you say that?_

 

Most of the group just chuckled at the absurdity of the question, but to his surprise, Phil’s finger went down.

 

Dan turned to him. “Okay, I’ve got to know the story behind that,” He said, sounding bolder than he felt.

 

Phil chuckled awkwardly and oh my gosh he was _just as dorky_ in person as Dan had previously suspected. “Well there’s not much to tell… I had a terrible crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar as a teenager… and I had a poster.” Even as he spoke, Phil’s face burned bright red.

 

_Of course he’s straight, you idiot._

 

Phil seemed to take Dan’s silence and strange expression as judgement. “L-lets just change the topic. Never have I ever gotten into a fight.”

 

Dan chuckled as he put a finger down, even as Phil looked shocked at the notion. “Of course you wouldn’t have, Phil, your personality is too adorable for it. And I’m not judging by the way, I’ve had some weird crushes…”

 

Phil cracked a huge smile at that, and it was like the clouds had parted and sunlight had streamed down specifically on Dan. He could almost feel his heart skip a beat.

 

The man on Phil’s other side spoke then. “Never have I ever received nudes.”

 

Dan looked casually around the room, avoiding Phil, until his eyes finally landed on him. Phil slowly put a finger down, looking mortified, bright red in the face. “I don’t want to talk about it,” He whispered.

 

Dan did his very best to stifle a chuckle, stiffening slightly as Phil ducked his head into Dan’s shoulder to further stifle his embarrassment. But Phil seemed completely at ease there, his silky hair rubbing softly against Dan’s collarbones, and Dan relaxed into it, a deep blush settling on his cheeks.

 

The game went on. “Never have I ever cheated on my partner.”  
  
Dan wrinkled his nose. Phil did the same.

 

The man next to Peej thought for a moment. “Never have I ever role played.”

 

Dan smirked a little bit as his finger went down. Phil looked to him with wide eyes. “It came with the cringe emo phase,” Dan explained.

 

“Well in that case…” Peej paused for a moment. “Never have I ever had a Myspace page.”

 

Phil let out an exasperated but over exaggerated sigh and put his finger down, as did Dan. “You know what, Peej, just because you didn’t have a couple years of your life you can only look back on by what would be described as regret doesn’t mean you need to rub it in all the time.” His grin at the end of the sentence gave away his true thoughts on the topic, however.

 

“Never have I ever lied during a game of this,” Louise smirked at them.

 

Dan rolled his eyes and put a finger down. “Well no duh but I’m not admitting it.” He observed Phil, adamantly keeping his two fingers in the air. “Well aren’t you an actual angel,” He grinned. Phil only blushed in response, ducking his head and letting himself look up at Dan only through his thick eyelashes, and that was when Dan realized that his tone wasn’t exactly one for playful banter, it was more the genuine, soft tone he would have used when his friends were having a bad day, or he needed to reassure someone he really did like them, or-

 

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the girl next to him spitting out suddenly, “Never have I ever kissed someone of the same gender!” _That’s right, she was the one I saved Phil from._

 

Shrugging nonchilantly, Dan put a finger down. Barely daring to breathe, even though he didn’t technically have to, Dan turned to look at Phil. Ever so softly, he whispered, “I’m out.”

 

Phil’s deep blue eyes met his for a second longer than customary, and then he whispered decisively, “Me too.”

 

 _Phil still has one finger though?_ Dan’s confusion must have been clear on his face, because Phil just smirked a little and grabbed Dan’s arm, standing up. “Since we’re both _definitely_ out, we’re gonna wander the house one more time, just look all the rooms over,” he directed at Peej.

 

Peej himself grinned. “Rethinking the house purchase, Philly?”

 

Phil just smiled softly and dragged Dan away, up his stairs and into the hallway.

 

As soon as they were in the hall, Dan turned to face Phil, confusion still written all over his face. Phil opened his mouth, almost as if he was going to say something, explain maybe, before closing it definitively. _What is going on?_ Dan could feel that fuzzy, warm feeling inside his chest as he just stared at Phil, and then suddenly Phil was lunging forward and his lips were on Dan’s.

 

“Mmph!” Dan’s eyes shot open in his shock as Phil’s hands found his waist, and it didn’t take him long at all to kiss back. Phil was warm and soft and Dan would be lying if he said he hadn’t imagined this at least once that night. _You can’t do this! What are you doing?_ His brain cried out desperately, but he pushed all of those thoughts to the back of his mind. _This can’t work out!_

 

The kiss was over sooner than Dan wanted it to be, and when Phil pulled back, his face a blazing red and breathing a little heavily, Dan reached his hand up to ghost over his own lips where he could still feel Phil lingering. “What was that for?” He whispered softly, confusion crashing down on him in waves.

 

Phil let out a small, nervous laugh, and ran his fingers through his quiff awkwardly. “I- sorry.”

 

Dan mirrored him, letting out an equally nervous laugh. “Trust me, you have _nothing_ to apologize for.”

  
That caused Phil’s skin to flush an even deeper shade of red. _It looks good on him,_ Dan thought absentmindedly then, his brain just barely catching Phil’s next question to him.

 

“Who are you?”

 

_Oh shit._

 

“Um… My name’s Dan,” He replied stupidly.

 

Phil let out a small chuckle at that. “No, silly, I mean, tell me about yourself! I’m going to be completely honest here, I’m not just one to go after whichever pretty boy I feel like, but I felt like I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get to know you better, and…” He trailed off, looking at Dan with soft eyes, “I knew I would never forgive myself if I didn’t get your phone number, or something.” Phil seemed almost almost desperate, in a strange way.

 

 _You don’t have a cell phone,_ His brain reminded him helpfully, but Dan just ignored that in favor of the part that was screaming, _He called you pretty!_

 

“No, I completely understand that,” He could hear himself say.

 

 _How am I going to tell him anything about me without seeming too… dead?_ Dan winced at that last thought, opening his mouth once more. “Okay, so… my full name is Daniel James Howell, I’m twenty seven years old, I’m into self deprecating jokes and memes, I can play the piano decently, and-” He had a moment where he thought, _Am I really gonna say this?_ And then it was too late. “And I think I’ve been slightly in love with you since the moment you stepped into this household,” He mumbled, feeling his own redness spread across his cheeks.

 

Phil’s jaw dropped a little, and he pointedly closed it before he began speaking. “Well, _Daniel,_ my full name is Philip Michael Lester, I’m thirty one years old, I enjoy plants and sunny days, I played the violin in primary school, bud I don’t think that counts, and I think I may have been at least a little bit in love with you since you emerged suspiciously from that corner before the game of never have I ever.” And then Phil looked a little unsure of himself. “Or maybe it was from the moment you attempted to comfort me after I was put in what might qualify as one of the most awkward situations of my life. Or, maybe, just maybe, I fell in love with your piano playing before I actually fell in love with you.”

 

Dan let out a sharp breath. It was his jaw’s turn to drop. _How did he catch on so quickly?_

 

Phil just chuckled a little at Dan’s confusion. “Honestly… I’ve suspected for a while. Don’t keep your mouth hanging open like that, love, you’ll catch flies.” Slowly, he reached out and pushed lightly on Dan’s chin, closing his mouth. From there, his hand turned to cup his cheek. “What are you, Daniel Howell?” Phil whispered to him in the empty hallway.

 

“I-i-” Dan leaned into his touch, his body painfully reminded of just how lonely he was before tonight, just how touch starved he really felt. “Move in with me!” He blurted out suddenly.

 

Phil blinked. “Run that by me again?”

 

“Oh, um…” _You didn’t think that one through, did you, Howell?_ “Move in with me, here. I can’t leave anyway, and I didn’t want just any random people moving in, so that’s why I was scaring people off, but, um…” Dan looked bashfully at Phil. “You’re not so bad.”

 

Phil just chuckled, brushing some of Daniel’s curls out of his face before dropping his hand. “Why can’t you leave the house?”

 

Dan looked down to the ground, taking a step back from Phil as he did. The words came out, barely a whisper. “Because I burned down with it four years ago.” _I’m not going to make eye contact, I’m not. There’s no reason for him to accept me now, he just wants a pretty face, not the baggage that comes with it. He’ll pull back in disgust, you’ll turn invisible again, and you’ll stay that way. This is your not-life now, Howell. Better get used to the heartbreak._

 

“I can work with that.”

 

Dan’s head snapped up.

 

\-----

 

Dan had no idea how easy it was to buy an entire house. He supposed it would be easier if your best friend worked in the business, but the simplicity with which Phil slid into his not-life was astonishing.

 

He could still remember Phil marching determinedly down the stairs, interrupting Peej’s conversion to state that he would be taking the house, and he’d be willing to pay more than anyone else there.  
  
Apparently, the other potential buyers were slightly relieved to hear this.

 

“Gave me a creepy vibe anyway,” One had murmured.

 

“Did you see how guests kept leaving? Almost like they were being eliminated…” Another nodded.

 

“A weird man for a weird house,” A third had agreed.

  
Dan made sure to trip him on his way out.

 

\-----

 

Another thing Dan remembered vividly was Phil’s moving in. Despite his claims of how small his apartment had been, Phil had seemingly owned enough book, movie, tv, anime, and video game merchandise to fill the entire house quite comfortably.

  
Dan could remember watching the house slowly fill with little bits of Phil, little bits of happiness. He could remember feeling his heart swell, looking everywhere and just seeing Phil wherever he looked.

 

\-----

 

He remembered walking the halls one day and turning the usual bend to his piano room, only to see Phil standing there, a bashful smirk on his face and a brand new piano behind him, the same model as Dan’s original.

 

His scream of joy had been enough to make Phil’s smirk bust into a full blown smile, and he could recall throwing himself at Phil and kissing him passionately, Phil’s back pressed against his new piano.

 

\-----

 

He could remember Phil getting invited to wedding for his friends, and the long and painful conversations that came with.

 

“Does it bother you that we can’t get married?” Dan would ask softly.

 

“Of course not,” was always Phil’s first reply, but the sadness Dan could clearly see behind his eyes would lead to the inevitable, deeper conversation.

 

He could bring back the emotions, the fear that Phil would leave him, the sadness that he was the source of his love’s unhappiness, but Dan didn’t like to remember that. It was the last part of any of those conversations that Dan would treasure, however.

 

“This lifetime is but a second of what will be forever,” Dan would whisper, a promise, pressing a quick kiss to Phil’s lips and hugging him tight. “Forever for us.”

 

Phil would always hug him back like Dan was his whole world. “I love you.”

 

“I know.”

 

\-----

 

He could summon memories of nights spent staying awake far too long for Phil, nights that ended in Phil asleep, head on his lap and Dan’s fingers carding themselves through Phil’s hair. He could summon memories of late night banting and mario kart, Phil screaming “You were dead when this game came out!” As Dan passed him again and again.

 

He could also bring to mind the memories involving Phil stumbling through the door after work, too tired to do much other than sleepy cuddling in their bed, and maybe a soft kiss goodnight. He could easily recall all the times he himself would sit there, listening to the breathing of his love even out as he slept peacefully beside him.

 

\-----

 

If Dan really wanted to, he could think back to the time when Phil’s first wrinkles were appearing, the first time that the reality seemed to sink in for him and Phil that only one of them would be aging.

 

“But will you still love me?” He could easily recall Phil’s desperate, almost heartbroken tone as he scrutinized his face again in their bathroom mirror.

 

His answer never changed, never wavered. “I could never stop loving you, Phil Lester. Just remember…”

 

“This lifetime is but a second of what will be forever,” Phil would finish for him, smile lines breaking out on his beautiful, aging face.

 

Dan would feel a pang of sorrow and joy altogether at this, but he never wanted to linger long on those emotions either.

 

\-----

 

He could remember Phil’s senior years quite clearly. They were filled with warm cups of tea, extra blankets, and medicine brought to his love by a man who looked young enough to be his grandson. That was Dan’s least favorite part of the cycle.

 

“It is but a second of what will be forever…” He would repeat softly, still holding Phil in his arms, even as his love grew frailer by the day.

 

\-----

 

The one memory Dan simply hated to touch on was the day that Phil let out his last breath. They were back at the house, knick knacks and memories surrounding them, and Phil had had a glassy look in his eyes that day. Dan had simply _known._  
  
He could remember his flash of panic, even as Phil had softly spoken his last _I love you_ ’s to him, that maybe Phil wouldn’t be staying with him, maybe his soul was destined for heaven, as Dan had always refused to even imagine. But in the moment, as Phil had let out one last soft sigh, and his hand’s grip on Dan’s had lost any kind of pressure, Dan had allowed himself to truly contemplate that fact.

 

And then Phil’s soul had burst from him, as radiant and as elegant as Dan had always seen, his face had turned youthful once more, and he was standing at Dan’s side again, ocean blue eyes glistening, and had kissed the worry right off of Dan’s face.

 

\-----

 

“Dan, babe?” Phil is calling for him now.

 

Dan looks up as his one and only love rounds the corner of their hallway, a huge smile breaking out across his face as his eyes rest upon Dan. “What were you doing over here, silly? Cornelia is just about to blow out her candles!”

 

Dan just smiles a little bit, pulling Phil in for another quick kiss. After so many years, he still can not get enough of this amazing man by his side. “Just reminiscing about how we met, love.”

 

Phil snorts at that, taking Dan’s hand and leading him back down their hallway. “Yeah, stalking me and then revealing you were a ghost, unhinging my sense of reality completely and forcing me to move in with you. Thanks for that.”

 

Dan looks to him, and he can see the smile tugging at the corner of Phil’s lips. “You’re a dork.”

 

“Takes one to know one.” Phil is full on grinning now.

 

“If you keep that obnoxious smile up any longer, I might just have to kiss it off your face,” Dan smirks.

 

There is nothing but love and adoration in Phil’s expression then. “Later. It would be rude for us to miss Cornelia’s twenty third birthday, even if she doesn’t know we exist.”

 

Dan lets out a small laugh. An engaged couple now shares the house with them, Cornelia and Martyn, having bought the house about a year after Phil’s departure. It was thanks to them the house was still in one piece, exactly the way it was when Dan, and in turn, Phil, lived in the house.

 

And as Dan stands there, in the hallway to the kitchen, his hand around his love’s waist, watching the family that lives in their house rejoice birth, he can’t help but feel a swell of love for the man beside him, and thank the universe for giving him a second chance.

 

Cornelia blows out her candles, and Dan presses another kiss to Phil’s lips.

 

After all, this is just another second of their forever, but Dan wouldn’t miss it for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for sticking around! So I originally started working on this fic mid October. I'm just finishing it up now, having thrown all concept to the wind and deciding to make it FLUFFY AS HECK. So yeah, I kind of hate the writing but hey man, hopefully the ending made you squeal or something. :)
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: randomfandomginger
> 
> Please kudos/comment I am but a validation craving writer.


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